by Trevor McDowell | Jul 18, 2023 | Articles, Mentors Corner
When God blesses our lives, it is easy to thank Him for the abundant blessings since “every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above…” (James 1:17); but it is a whole different thing to give God thanks when negative circumstances come into our lives. I believe this is what the Bible refers to as a “Sacrifice of Thanksgiving” when we thank Him for something we wish did not happen to us or our loved ones. A sacrifice is defined as giving up something of value for something of greater value. When we offer up a “Sacrifice of Thanksgiving” we give up something of value, our will, for something of greater value, God’s will. When Jonah ran away from God because he didn’t want to do God’s will, God thwarts Jonah’s desire by threatening to destroy the ship he is on–unless they throw Jonah off the boat. The crew throws Jonah overboard and he is swallowed up by the great fish so God can bring him back to complete the mission He has for Jonah. In Jonah 2:9 while in the belly of the fish he says, “But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of Thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord.” Note that Jonah offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving before he was delivered. After he does this then God commands the fish to spit him out on dry land (Jonah 2:10). Not knowing what his outcome will be, Jonah praises God in the midst of his turmoil. Let me suggest to you Jonah was delivered out of...
by Trevor McDowell | Jun 6, 2023 | Articles, Mentors Corner
I believe one of the most important characteristics that a Christian must live out in their life is gratitude. It is a key component to a healthy Christian life and must be present in our lives if we are going to live out the fruits of the Spirit. Gratitude in Websters’ Dictionary is defined as “the quality of being thankful, readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness”. Jesus seems to up the ante when He tells His followers to “love your enemies”. I suggest to you that we are also to return kindness even when someone may inflict us with evil. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests by made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When we pray with thanksgiving our hearts and minds are guarded. Having gratitude protects our minds and hearts from faulty, false thinking. We will have a biblical perspective when difficult circumstances enter our lives. Romans Chapter 1 shows us what happens when we are not grateful. Romans 1:21 says, “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” Note that this verse is the opposite of Philippians 4:6-7. Paul tells us that those who are not thankful become futile in their speculations (mind) and their heart becomes darkened. Ingratitude exposes our hearts and minds to darkness and deceit. Ingratitude is a relationship killer. ...
by Trevor McDowell | Jul 11, 2022 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Lately, I have been spending time in Daniel chapter 9. This chapter has Daniel offering one of the great prayers in the Bible. And as an example to us, here we see how a man of God prayed to the Lord. We are told in this chapter that Daniel realizes that the 70 years of Babylonian captivity are about up, and the Jews would be returning to Jerusalem soon. Daniel decides to pray to God about this. It is interesting that instead of praying for God to send them back to Jerusalem, out from under their pain of their circumstances and into freedom, this is a prayer of repentance! As I reflect on the life of Daniel, he seems to be one of the few Old Testament characters that lives a consistently righteous life with no major screw ups. Many great men of the Bible had great flaws, which can be comforting for us that have flaws, but Daniel operated with wisdom and an unwavering desire to follow God throughout his life. Under great pressure and persecution, he never seemed to waver in his commitment to God no matter what the circumstance. However, in the opening of his prayer he confesses his sins and the sins of Israel. In verse 5 he says, “we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from your commandments and ordinances.” I would have thought it would be appropriate for Daniel to observe that Israel had served its due sentence and it was now time for God to return them to Jerusalem. But instead, Daniel repents for the Nation, including...
by Trevor McDowell | Mar 29, 2022 | Articles
“Your way was in the sea and Your paths in the mighty waters, and Your footprints may not be known.” Psalm 77:19 The way God works is a mystery most of the time. Jesus promises that He will build His church (Matthew 16:18). He does not need us, but He gives us the opportunity to participate with Him in what He is doing in the lives of people. My mom was a tough nut to crack. When my father came to the Lord she was not interested, and neither was I. Then ten years later I came to faith and a few years after that my two brothers came to know the Lord as well. My mom continued in her unbelief for many years until she was stricken with lung cancer. Prior to her cancer, our family had shared the gospel with my mom through the years with no response. When she was informed she had cancer, my brothers and I planned on taking her to lunch to share the Gospel with her again, hoping she would be more open to it. A few days after our lunch was scheduled, my mother sent an email to my brothers and I that she was trusting Jesus with her cancer. We were amazed with this email. When our scheduled lunch happened a few days after her email, she was open to talking about Jesus. God beat us to our prayerful plan of bringing our mom to faith. My mother battled cancer for just over a year and then passed away. She has now been gone for over three years. Sometimes as...
by Trevor McDowell | Aug 27, 2021 | Articles
Many times in life, circumstances can bring opportunities our way. This could be a new job opportunity, a relocation opportunity, a relationship opportunity or maybe even an opportunity to go the route of vocational ministry. The question sometimes we need to ask ourselves: could the opportunity be a test from the Lord? We see in 1 Samuel 24 and 26, David had two great opportunities to eliminate Saul so that he wouldn’t have to run any longer. In Chapter 24 Saul and three thousand men are pursuing David and his men. Saul decides to go into a cave to relieve himself. Of all the caves he chooses, the one he enters is where David and some of his men are hiding. While Saul is taking care of business David cuts off a piece of his robe. What is very interesting is that David’s conscience bothers him. In verse 4, David’s men tell him that “the Lord has delivered your enemy into your hand”. David disagrees and says the following in verse 6, “Far be it from me because of the Lord that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.” David persuades his men and does not allow them to strike Saul when they had the opportunity. The second instance occurs in Chapter 26. Saul is once again pursuing David in the hill of Hachilah. David decides to go with Abishai and check things out at Saul’s camp. We see throughout David’s life that Abishai was close to David, watching out for him. ...
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